After a busy day, having a late-night snack with friends is a habit for many. However, a recent study by Japanese scientists has found that frequent late-night snacking or eating dinner too late can increase the burden on the stomach, and over the long term, it raises the risk of developing stomach cancer.
This research was led by Professor Hideo Kurata of the University of Tokyo in Japan. They investigated the dietary and lifestyle habits of stomach cancer patients aged 30 to 40 before their illness and found that most had the habit of eating late-night snacks, with 38.4% of them having irregular dinner times. Professor Kurata analyzed that late-night snacks are extremely harmful to the stomach because the lifespan of gastric mucosal epithelial cells is very short, about 2-3 days, requiring regeneration. This regeneration process typically occurs when the gastrointestinal tract is resting at night. If one frequently eats at night, the gastric mucosa cannot be repaired in a timely manner. Furthermore, food eaten at night remains in the stomach, promoting the secretion of large amounts of gastric juice, which irritates the gastric mucosa, weakens its resistance, and can lead to ulcers. If one often eats fried, grilled, or cured foods, the carcinogens in them can further damage the stomach.
The researchers pointed out that under modern lifestyles, many people's eating habits need to change. "Eating late-night snacks is a pleasure for the mouth but a burden for the stomach. For the sake of health, it's best to eat them less often."